Good Governance Brief

LGSP Aceh Election Support

L
ocal elections are fundamental to the
consolidation of democracy.1 They allow
for tailored representation of local inter-
ests and facilitate the inclusion and represen-
tation of minority groups (such as former com-
batants or indigenous groups) in political life.
By improving representation, local elections
also have the potential to close the gap be-
tween elected officials and constituents and
to give citizens better access to policy makers.
As local elections often take place in cycles
that are separate from general elections, they
can function as an important interim gauge of Voters queue to cast their votes in Aceh
national politics. Finally, as more and more new
democracies move toward decentralization, local elections provide a way for people to express their
political will through democratic elections in their own communities.

On December 11, 2006, the electorate of Aceh cast ballots at over 8,500 polling stations across the
province to elect new local and provincial leaders. Coming in the wake of the devastating 2004
tsunami and the 2005 landmark Peace Accord between the Government of Indonesia and the Free
Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM), these were the first direct elections (Pilkada) of local
leaders in Aceh. They represented a critical step in restoring lasting peace and stability to this conflict-
stricken region and in ensuring that all citizens, including those who have been displaced, are able to
exercise their democratic right to vote.

Heads and deputies of 19 local governments (kabupaten/kota, or districts)2 were elected, as were
officials to hold the key positions of governor and deputy governor. The voter turnout was an impres-
sive 80 percent. The elections were considered free and fair by the international community. A large
majority of the Acehnese themselves also believed the elections were democratic: In a USAID-funded
opinion poll in January 2007, 92 percent of respondents said the elections were “completely” or
“mostly” fair, and only 3 percent “not fair at all.” Very few countries in the world can show such
figures. Campaign and polling violations were minor, and although there were protests in several

1
See end of document for suggested additional reading on this and other relevant topics.
2
The remaining two local governments will have elections in 2008.

Vo l u m e 1 , J u n e 2 0 0 7
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regions, there were no clashes or legal actions (interestingly, the level of protest was related to who
won the elections; districts in which “old” nationalist parties won saw the largest protests, while there
were few protests in the areas where the Free Aceh Movement won).

The Aceh Pilkada elections were the first true test of the political will to end decades of violent
conflict, and they proved very successful. The result was a resolute vote for change. Conventional
wisdom held that candidates representing the previously banned Free Aceh Movement would per-
haps pick up two or three of the district races, but certainly not the provincial governorship; and that
the established Jakarta-linked parties would benefit from access to funds, established networks, and
splits within GAM. But GAM won overwhelmingly: Candidates representing the Free Aceh Movement
were elected to the governorship (with twice as many votes as the runner-up) as well as winning in
seven jurisdictions. Only five incumbent officials were reelected, and these were leaders who had
proven themselves reform-minded in the eyes of voters. The elections went a long way toward
showing the important role of local elections in supporting reconciliation, peace-building and regional
autonomy.

Recognizing the importance of advanced preparation for impartial and effective electoral administra-
tion, the U.S. Government was one of the first to extend technical support to Aceh’s Independent
Election Commission (Komite Independen Pemilu, KIP) through its Local Governance Support Program
(LGSP). With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and in
coordination with other donor election support programs, LGSP provided KIP the technical assis-
tance to develop a complete system for managing these landmark first direct elections in Aceh. In
collaboration with subcontractor Democracy International (DI), LGSP began supporting KIP in Au-
gust 2005, lasting to Election Day in December 2006, for a total of $475,000.

Those preparing the elections faced a number of challenges, including developing a new legal frame-
work in a post-conflict environment; making arrangements for accurate and comprehensive registra-
tion and voting for half a million voters displaced by the tsunami; ensuring the competency and
impartiality of election managers and the process for dispute resolution; and handling the sheer
logistics of safely delivering and collecting voting materials in areas with little or no infrastructure. As
a result of these concerns, the elections—originally scheduled for April 2006—were delayed until
December 2006.

Election Management

Initial LGSP assistance focused on building the management capacity of KIP at all levels, developing a
legal framework, and implementing a system for voter registration. To increase management capacity,
LGSP, in coordination with other donors and local partners, facilitated a series of management work-
shops with the KIP leadership at the provincial level and KIP representatives from the district level to
address key electoral issues, including integrity of the electoral process, procurement of goods and
services, logistics, observer training, and media relations.

The lack of legal precedent and the challenging operational environment in Aceh meant that many
election processes—such as voter registration, candidate registration, and campaigning—needed a
different regulatory framework than for the Pilkada in other parts of Indonesia. An LGSP review of
KIP’s existing regulations for these processes showed that they were not in line with good practices
in election management and international standards for elections. Working with provincial and na-
tional partners such as the University of Syiah Alam, the Aceh NGO Forum (a province-wide network
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of nongovernmental organizations), and the

Minister of Home Affairs, LGSP staff reviewed
and commented on the existing legal frame-
work and developed recommendations for
changes that took Aceh’s unique political, so-
cial, and cultural fabric into consideration.
Trainings were held on ethics and integrity of
election management (in collaboration with
the Japan International Cooperation Agency,
JICA), on procurement regulations (in collabo-
ration with Indonesian Procurement Watch
[IPW] and the General Election Commission),
and on election planning (in collaboration with
the Aceh NGO Forum). Besides regular train- A woman participant introduces herself before the training on
logistics of Pilkada started
ing sessions, LGSP also produced some of the
very first posters informing the public about the upcoming elections, as well as booklets on election
management integrity that were distributed across the province—3,000 copies of each booklet.

Voter Registration

LGSP provided technical assistance to KIP to develop a system to reach and register voters, especially
the nearly 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in Aceh and the thousands of ex-GAM
supporters who were rejoining civic life. LGSP, in partnership with the Aceh NGO Forum, conducted
consultation workshops in 10 cities in Aceh to help KIP officials understand the issues and magnitude
of conducting a voter-registration effort in a province where an estimated 20 percent of registered
voters had died or been displaced by the tsunami, and where the potential for political conflicts was
still ripe. The workshops provided a forum for KIP to talk directly to voters about registration issues,
such as reaching displaced voters, developing accurate lists, or issuing new identity documents. A final
workshop with government officials, GAM representatives, election officials, and civil society groups
resulted in a set of recommendations that ultimately provided the basis for the regulations on voter
registration. This work fed into the actual registration of voters, coordinated by the German Agency
for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), which eventually reached some 93 percent of voters.

Review of Independent Candidate Verification Procedures

As a result of the Peace Accord between the GAM and the Government of Indonesia, Aceh became
the only province in Indonesia in which independent (non-party-affiliated) candidates have been al-
lowed to run for office. LGSP advised KIP on developing regulations to verify independent candidates
for the elections. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), LGSP
trained provincial KIP members on the candidate verification process. Resource persons from univer-
sities and local civil society organizations provided important input for KIP in the drafting of the
decree for independent candidates. The regulation was passed by the Provincial Legislative Council
(DPRD) in mid-October 2006, and was implemented by KIP without difficulties.

Elections Procedures Training for Journalists

In September 2006, LGSP held four-day workshops for local journalists on “How to Cover the Pilkada.”
The objective of the training was to help prepare journalists to fulfill their role as a reliable source of
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information about the election. Thirty-three journalists from Aceh participated in the program. The
workshop was based on a module from the international-standard Building Resources in Democracy,
Governance, and Elections (BRIDGE) program. LGSP-USAID adapted the module to apply specifically
to journalists covering the elections. The training served as a forum for journalists to work with a
number of resource persons from KIP, other (senior) journalists, and election monitors. Presentation
topics included technical aspects of the Pilkada, KIP’s election preparations, the legal framework of
the Pilkada, and nomination requirements. During campaigning, balloting, and vote counting, local
media in Aceh by and large reported in a balanced way without overly speculating or instilling fear,
which contributed to the peaceful and democratic outcome of the elections.

National and International Observer Accreditation

LGSP worked closely with KIP to develop procedures for accrediting domestic and international
election observers. In a joint workshop led by LGSP consultant Alan Wall from Democracy Interna-
tional and Somsri Berger from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), LGSP brought to-
gether 45 members from the “observer working groups” of province- and district-level election
commissions. The training—the only one of its kind in Aceh— introduced the regulatory framework
for involving international observers, and the training that KIP would need to carry out to prepare its
national observers.

Polling and Counting Procedures: Training and Manual Development

A successful and transparent election relies on the ability of officials to manage the electoral process.
The December 11 Pilkada required the coordination and training of election officials at the provincial
level, in the 21 kabupaten/kota, and in 435
kecamatan (subdistricts) to super-
vise over 8,500 individual
polling stations. LGSP pro-
vided technical assistance to
KIP to develop key policies on
polling and counting proce-
dures and trained more than
500 key election officials and staff
across the province in election
management operations, vote
counting and tabulation, indepen-
dent candidate verification, polling
station operations, election observer
accreditation, and procurement integ-
rity. To assist in the training process,
LGSP also developed three manuals, and
in coordination with the UNDP, distrib- USAID-LGSP manuals were widely distributed to election
uted 25,000 of these manuals throughout officials before Election Day.
the province. These trainings and manuals
were the basis for a separate USAID-funded “cascade” training program that reached over 50,000
poll workers and were the only comprehensive guide and training on regulation and procedures. The
three manuals were:
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1. Buku Pelatihan KPPS-Kelompok Penyelenggara Pemungutan Suara. A training manual for the Election
Committee (KPPS) at the village level to train poll workers slated to staff the 8,500+ individual
polling stations.
2. Buku Panduan Pelaksanaan Pelatihan Pelatih dan pelatihan pelaksana pemilihan Gubernur/Wakil
Gubernur, Bupati/Wakil Bupati atau Walikota/Wakil Walikota Prov NAD 2006. A manual for the sub-
district election committee (Panitia Pemilihan Kecamatan, PPK) at the kabupaten/kota level to
implement a training-of-trainers system for poll workers.
3. Buku Panduan Pemungutan dan Penghitungan Suara Pemilihan Gubernur/Wakil Gubernur, Bupati/Wakil
Bupati atau Walikota/Wakil Walikota Prov NAD 2006. A comprehensive guide to polling and count-
ing procedures, regulations and election laws, dispute resolution, related forms, and telephone
numbers for key KIP personnel.

Day-to-Day Technical Assistance and Management Support to KIP

Beginning with its initial meetings in June 2005 and the establishment of the Aceh regional office in
September 2005, LGSP provided KIP with consistent on-the-ground assistance leading up to the
December 2006 elections. LGSP’s technical assistance was rooted in the belief that a well-executed
and transparent electoral process in Aceh was essential for ensuring the legitimacy and public accep-
tance of the election results and for supporting lasting peace in the province. The program was
flexible in meeting KIP’s specific needs while steadily working to build KIP’s infrastructure and techni-
cal expertise in election implementation and developing its legal and operational framework to meet
good electoral practice standards. This assistance and advice were provided by a number of interna-
tionally qualified consultants:

• Alan Wall is an internationally renowned expert on election management. A coauthor of International

Electoral Management Design: The International IDEA [Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance] Handbook, Mr. Wall spent more than five months during 2005–2006 with LGSP preparing
for the elections. He was a speaker at many of the KIP trainings and provided crucial input into the
drafting of the legal framework regulating the elections, including holding regular meetings with legal
experts at the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure compliance between the sections on election in the
Helsinki Peace Accord and the Law on Governing Aceh.

• Silvana Puizina is associated with Democracy International as an election management specialist and
was posted at the KIP office during September–December 2005, where she advised KIP on election
management and voter registration procedures.

• Dhyana Paramita was contracted as LGSP’s Aceh Election Program Manager from January 2006 to
January 2007. Ms. Paramita arranged training activities and coordinated LGSP’s program with those of
other donors. Using her expertise as an international election worker, she also advised KIP on manage-
ment issues. Together with Mr. Wall, she was the primary author of the three polling and counting
manuals.

A team of professionals consisting of Admira Dini Salim, Elizabeth Koesrini, Ika Sartika, and Yudirman
Zebua provided training and technical support for LGSP’s program.

The program was managed at the LGSP national office through Governance Advisor Hans Antlov and
Legislative Strengthening Specialists Dicky Dooradi (June 2005–April 2006) and Ratih Adiputri (May
2006–December 2006).
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Collaboration with Other Donors and USAID Programs

Throughout the program, LGSP collaborated intensely with other donors. LGSP also assigned a full-
time advisor (Ms. Paramita) to coordinate with the KIP office; and to share information, lessons
learned, and program activities with other donors. Partners for LGSP voter registration activities
included GTZ and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which carried out a voter registration
audit. On election management activities, LGSP worked closely with the UNDP’s Aceh Local Election
Support (ALES) program, which was the other major Pilkada support program. LGSP participated
actively in donor coordination meetings in Aceh and Jakarta, sharing information and discussing joint
collaborations. Several embassies and donors participated in these regular meetings, including USAID
partners such as International Republican Institute (IRI), International Foundation for Electoral Sys-
tems (IFES), NDI, and the Asia Foundation.

Lessons Learned

A key factor in LGSP contributions

to building the election management
capacity of KIP was the intense and
long exposure that LGSP had with
KIP. As is further elaborated in IDEA’s
Electoral Management Design hand-
book, the electoral framework can
determine both the outcomes and
credibility of electoral processes. The
development of professional electoral
management is not merely a techni-
cal issue, but a process that engages
political stakeholders who have their
own interests and objectives. It is cru-
cial that electoral management bod-
ies have the capacity to act fearless
and objectively. Through intense ex- Witnessed by citizens, officials count votes on Election Day.
posure, LGSP could build trust with
KIP members and teach some of these skills. As could be expected in such a fluid political situation,
there were managerial and administrative tensions and conflicts. For instance, the head of the sup-
porting KIP Secretariat was replaced less than three months ahead of the election, which meant that
capacity-building had to start anew. This would not have been possible had it not been for the actual
day-to-day presence of LGSP at KIP and the flexibility of the USAID funding.

It is also crucial to have staff who understand the technical and managerial issues, as well as the
context. Organizing an election in any jurisdiction is difficult. To do so in a post-conflict and devastated
area is all the more challenging. LGSP was fortunate to have the expertise of Democracy Interna-
tional and others that could bring extensive election management experience to the table. There are
many choices that need to be made concerning electoral systems, and options need to be presented
by specialists. It also benefited LGSP’s election program to have an established office in Aceh with
local staff who deeply understood the local context.
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Further Reading

For basic information about local elections and election management:

Bland, Gary. Elections and the Development of Democratic Local Governance. http://www.ddlg-at-
work.com/Elections%20and%20DDLG%20Final%209-30-06.pdf
Wall, Alan, Andrew Ellis, Ayman Ayoub, Carl W. Dundas, Joram Rukambe, and Sara Staino. Electoral
Management Design: The International IDEA Handbook, http://www.idea.int/publications/emd/up-
load/EMD_inlay_final.pdf.

For reports on the Aceh elections:

Indonesia: How GAM Won in Aceh. Update Briefing No. 61. Jakarta: International Crisis Group,
February 2007, http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm; select “Reports,” then “My Profile”
to register (free); full URL is http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/ documents/ asia/indonesia/
b61_indonesia_how_gam_won_in_aceh.pdf

Opinions and Information on the Pilkada Aceh Elections 2006: Key Findings from an IFES Survey. Jakarta:
International Foundation for Electoral Systems, February 2007, http://www.ifes.org/publication/
da48709050aa294dfdc0cda43969420b/IFES%20Aceh%20Pilkada%20Survey%201%20Exec%
20Summary.pdf

Aceh Local Elections Support (ALES) Project. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
not dated, http://www.undp.or.id/archives/prodoc/ProDoc-ALES.pdf.

For updates on conflict in Aceh:

Aceh Conflict Monitoring Update. Jakarta: World Bank & Decentralization Support Facility, 1-31
January 2007, http://www.conflictanddevelopment.org/data/doc/en/regCaseStudy/aceh/mon/
Aceh%20Conflict%20Monitoring%20Update%20-%20Jan07.pdf

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), LGSP’s Aceh Recovery Initiative is a collaborative program between the Aceh and Nias
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR), partner local governments and civil society organizations (CSOs), and other key agencies involved in the recovery and
reconstruction effort. LGSP is implemented by RTI International (RTI) in collaboration with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Democracy
International (DI), and Computer Assisted Development Incorporated (CADI) l LGSP National Program Office Jakarta Stock Exchange Building, Suite 2901Jl Jend
Sudirman, Kav 52 – 53 Jakarta 12190 Telephone : 62 021 515-1755 Fax: 62 021 515-1752 l LGSP Aceh Regional Office Jl Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 16 Punge – Blang
Cut, Kecamatan Meuraxa, Banda Aceh, NAD, Telephone : 62 651 740 6446 Facsimile : 62 651 740 0707 l e-mail: info@lgsp.or.id l Website: www.lgsp.or.id l Layout :
Iriawan C l Photos: LGSP ARO Staff